Hi MaTar9000,
Merci Beaucoup and thank you very much for starting this thread!
I am also from Quebec... Sherbrooke, Circa Mars.... 1970.... (Oui, c'est moi le vieux maintenant!)
Lol. so I am now living in Ontario and was looking for Fat Tire E-Bikes for my wife and I. We came upon your very detailed review of the Rize X during many long hours of research and found it very helpful. We decided on the Rize Leisure for her in White and the Rize X for myself in Black and placed the order this week with their office in Vancouver. The additional range of the batteries and the superior components for the price helped make the decision. We are in a Valley area by a ski resort (Very small by Quebec standards!) and are really looking forward to the shipment of our Fat-E bikes! It is rare these days to get excited about something! Anyway, we are really looking forward to taking the bikes out on some solitary cruises in what is now a deserted rural area to get some much-needed exercise.
The Rize bikes really stood out to us for the many reasons you mention, especially the higher AMP battery for extended range and the upgraded brakes (Hydraulic instead of Mechanical) at a similar or better price point compared to others. I have a couple of questions for you if you don't mind, in case you may have the answers:
1- Did you need additional tools to assemble the Rize bike when it arrived other than what was provided or do I need additional wrenches or other tools? (I ask as I do not have all my tools with me in cottage-country so I may need to plan)
2- Do you need to charge the battery when it arrives or is it ready to go?
3- Charging habits: I am wondering what the best practice is to maintain battery life since it is the most expensive thing to replace. Do you recharge only when the battery is empty or do you recharge every time you come home... Or some other best practice...
4- Does the extra weight of the bike make it more difficult to handle? Do you have any advice for my wife who is quite light and may be intimidated by the weight of the bike?
And finally... (Question blague)
5- How many of your friends have now bought E Fat Bikes? (I have a feeling you have sold a few of your friends already!)
Hey there, glad you've read the post! To answer your questions, some already did, but here I go with my own experience on the bike:
1. You can assemble the bike with the tool provided, but probably you're better off with your own tools when some torque is needed. I used my own tools.
2. You need to charge it when it arrives, but it's around 80% full already as other mentioned.
3. I'm not an expert on batteries, but according to what I read on Internet the most important thing is never to charge a cold battery, always wait until it warms up a little to charge it up. Else then that, I charge my battery everytime I use it and I try never to let it down under let's say 20%. I already bought an additional battery to be able to do longer runs with the bike. I am now at over 900km on it and it still runs great
4. It is quite heavy indeed, my grilfriend is 5'3" and about 125 lbs and she says it's to big and heavy for her. Maybe try the Leisure or another smaller version for her?
5. Haha, that's a good one! Surprisingly, as of yet, none of them. I made it try to about 10 people when I was in a cottage with friends prior to all that Covid thing, most of them told me they will buy one, but none of them pulled the trigger yet, don't know what they are waiting for
My girlfriend will buy one as soon as they are back in stock, and I'm pretty sure that when this quarantine ends, some of them will fall into it as well. Including my parents most likely. In the meantime, I enjoy the rides I do everyday!
